Container and tearable ring cover with top



United States Patent inventor Maurice M. Kahn Beaurepaire, France Appl. No. 774,828 Filed Nov. 1'2, 1968 Patented Dec. 22, 1970 Assignee Boxal-Beaurepaire S. A.

Beaurepaire, France a company of France Priority Nov. 14,1967

France No. 15916/67 CONTAINER AND TEARABLE RING COVER WITH TOP f v 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

ILS. Cl.

Int. Cl

[50] Field ofSearch 220/52, 53, 54, 27

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,642,478 9/ 1927 Bardet et al. 220/52 FOREIGN PATENTS 805,867 12/1958 GreatBritain.

Primary Examiner-Raphael H. Schwartz Attorneys- Robert E. Bums and Emmanuel J. Lobato ABSTRACT: A container having a metallic cylindrical body on which is set a cover with a tearable ring for opening the cover. A part of the body is surrounded by the ring and has at least one zone of lesser resistance. The ring is set between two shoulders of the body, one on a level with the cover and above the said zone, and the other below the zone, whereby after tearing off the ring, the cover can be pushed in by breaking the zone, thereby permitting removal of the cover.

PATENTEU m22 Ism drill/IK f CONTAINER AND TEARABLE RING COVER WITH TOP There are already known containers which can be closed fluidtightly by means of various devices. Such devices generally have the drawback of being complicated and of requiring the use of some tool to openthe container.

The present invention is concerned with a container comprising a cylindrical metallic body on which is set a cover. The body has a tearable ring for opening the cover, and said ring does not require the use of any tools for its removal. The containers is characterized by the fact that the part of the body surrounded by the ring has a zone of lesser resistance and that the ring is set between two shoulders of the body. One shoulder is on a level with the cover and above said zone, and the other shoulder is` disposed below said zone so that after the ring is torn away the cover may be pushed in, thereby breaking the zone and allowing the cover to be removed.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one embodiment of the invention. In such drawing:

FIG. l is a an elevational view ofthe container, shown partially in cross section;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a plastic ring shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a an enlarged sectional view ,taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1, at the rear thereof; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 with the ring torri away, and the cover pushed in andready for removal.

The container shown in FIG. 1 comprises a cylindrical body l on the upper part of which is seta `cover 2 as illustrated in FIG. 3. ln order to obtain completetluidtightness of the said cover, the upper peripheries of the body 1 and its cover 2 are rolled together to form a seal l0. At the upper portion of the container, the diameter of the body l is reduced to provide an indented portion 12, and said diameter is then expanded again to its normal diameter. Said indented portion l2 is defined by a pair of opposed upper and lower shoulders 14 and 16 interconnected by an inclined, frustoconical shaped wall 18. Said conical wall 18 has a pair of circumferential grooves 4 and 5 cut in its outer face, said groove 4 being disposed at the junction of the conical wall 18 and the lower shoulder 16, and said groove 5 being disposed slightly above the groove 4. Thus, the grooves 4 and 5 provide a pair of weakened portions iii the container wall, said weakened portions being breakable upon exertion of a downward force on the cover.

To prevent inadvertant breaking of the container wall, a ring 3 is placed in the indented portion l2, between the shoulders 14 and 16. The ring 3 desirably comprises a plastic strip having an extension 6 at one end with ay pair of tabs 7 and 8 projecting therefrom. The plastic strip is wound around said indented portion l2 and the tabs 7 and 8 are grasped within a corresponding pair of small openings and 22 in the other end of the strip.

The opening of the container takes place by pulling on the said extension to release the tabs from the openings and by tearing ring 3 along the entire periphery of the container. When the ring is removed, the upper part of the body, which is sealed to the cover 2, is only connected to the other part of the container by means of the indented wall which is grooved at 4 and 5 to form a zone of lesser resistance. It can be seen from FIG. 4 that a simple pressure F exerted on the cover then occasions breaking of this zone and consequently opening of the container. The part of the wall comprised between the two grooves is pushed back and folded under the lower shoulder 16 within the container.

It can be seen that once the container is opened, the cover can be put back on, the upper and Vlower shoulders coming into contact then with one another.

lt will be noted that with the device suggested by the present invention, opening of the container is total and can be achieved without any special tools.

Additionally, the upper edge of the open container does not have a sharp edge owing to the fact that the sectioned end 4 of the indented wall is folded towards the inside of the container under the edge constituted by the lower shoulder. ln order to facilitate the folding of this extremit it can comprise a certain number of notches or cutouts positioned perpendicularly to and between the grooves 4 and 5. The end 24 thus divides itself into several parts, defined by the cutouts 9, when it is moved.

Naturally, in order to prevent an unwanted separation of the box and of its cover, for example, in the case of pressurized boxes, the ring can be shaped or mounted in such a way as to prevent by its presence the crushing of the cover toward the box as well as its separation therefrom. This can be accomplished, for example, by use of glue applied between the abutting faces of the ring and shoulders, said glue being resistant to tensile forces but ineffective in its resistance to shear forces.

I claim:

l. A container comprising a cylindrical metallic body, said body having a peripheral indented portion, a tearable ring inserted in said indented portion, and means in said indented portion having at least one zone of lesser resistance for permitting the portion of the body above said indented portion to be pushed toward the lower portion of the body to break said indented portion at said zone of lesser resistance, when said ring is removed.

2. A container according to claim l, wherein said zone of lesser resistance comprises two circumferential grooves.

3. A container according to claim 2, wherein said zone of lesser further resistance comprises cutouts perpendicular to and between said grooves.

4. A container according to claim l, wherein said cover and said body have areas in relief and aid ring cooperates with said area so as to prevent the separation of said body and cover until said ring is removed.

5. A container comprising a body portion and a cover joined to the upper to the upper part of said body portion; a peripheral indentation in said body portion, said indentation having a pair of shoulders joined by an inclined wall, and having a first peripheral groove for providing a zone of lesser resistance; a tearable ring inserted in said indented portion and abutting said shoulders for removal to permit said cover and upper part of said body portion to be forced downward to break said body portion at the zone of lesser resistance of said indentation, thereby permitting said container to be opened.

6. The invention as set forth in claim 5, in which said body portion is a metallic cylinder and said inclined wall is a frustoconical wall having a second peripheral groove therein.

7. The invention as set forth in claim 6, in which said body portion disposed between said first and second peripheral grooves has a plurality of notches perpendicular to said grooves to allow separation at said notches when the cover is forced downward. 

